A Touch of Lavender
by A. N. Mouse
Summary: Lavender Brown's life has changed drastically since the famous Battle of Hogwarts, and not in a good way. Slowly, she's getting back on track with the help of the one and only Seamus Finnigan. LB/SF. T cause I'm paranoid.


**Here it is, the first chapter of A Touch of Lavender. I wrote this for a challenge . . . . but, ditz that I am, I can't remember exactly which one *blushes* I'm sorry to whoever's challenge I'm forgetting . . . I can't exactly give you specific props for this amazing idea, but I can give you theoretical props! So, I'm doing this for a challenge about what *insert random character here* would see in the Mirror of Erised. I got Lavender Brown . . . it will be a three-shot, spread out over the years after the Battle of Hogwarts.**

**Dis to the Claim: I do not own Lavender Brown, Seamus Finnigan, Harry Potter, Ginny Weasely, (or really any of the Weasely's), um . . . . anything pertaining to JKRowlings books/world/idea-y thingy. Please do not flame, maim, or kill me for my ideas.**

A Touch of Lavender

The Mirror

It has been six months since the Battle of Hogwarts. For most, life has changed dramatically. Now they held memorials every week. Memorials for different people, the dead and the living, from different places and different battles.

This was her memorial. Today they were honouring the victims and survivors of the attacks of Fenrir Greyback during the final battle. Though she was here, she didn't want to be. Hogwarts brought back so many wonderful memories, but this reason, this ceremony, brought back too many terrible ones.

Lavender Brown had been attacked by Greyback and survived to tell the tale. Scars covered the entire right side of her face and neck, and then ran down her side. Thin, almost silvery lines that reminded her of snakes. A constant reminder of the monster who gave them to her.

An ever-present reminder of her worth. Michael had made that clear enough.

Michael Corner had been her boyfriend all through that terrible seventh year. She'd gotten over Ron Weasley in the space of one summer, her first "love" did not last, and she'd picked up with Michael during the second week of school.

They'd helped Neville defy the Carrows whenever they could, but as time went on Michael decided it had gotten too dangerous, so they stopped. Then came the Battle of Hogwarts.

Michael had taken off with the younger students, content to let the Gryffindors fight for him, but Lavender had stayed to fight.

We all know what happened that day. During the fighting, she'd been attacked by Greyback and passed out. Later, she would hear stories of Harry Potter's spectacular defeat of Voldemort, but she had not been awake to witness it. No, she had awoken three days later in St. Mungo's with her parents and the Patils by her bed.

Michael did not come to see her once while she was in St. Mungo's. The next time she saw him, he was breaking up with her. He told her she was nothing without her looks and those were now gone.

Lavender Brown had not seen Michael Corner since. He'd broken her heart and left her alone.

As soon as her wounds had healed completely, she moved out of her parents' house and into a small flat in Diagon Alley above the Apothecary, where she worked as a back-room assisstant. Her new job ensure minimal human contact, just her boss who provided her with a list of tasks at the beginning of each day. Since the battle, she'd become a very private person, avoiding all social interactons as much as possible.

She sat in the back of the Great Hall, trying desperately to blend into the background. To not be recognized.

The memorial had been going on for two hours, survivors had told their stories, and it was almost over. All that was left was the Minister's speech and the reception.

The last speaker left the podium and Kingsley Shacklebolt mounted it. He spoke in his slow, deep voice.

"I know this is now pleasant. I know it hurts to listen to these stories, these survivors. But we have to do it. We have to listen and see the realities of the pure-blood mania. It is the only way we can prevent this from happening again. We have to look at our mistakes for what they are and learn from them. Remember the victims. Remember the horrors so this will never happen again." He looked around at the crowd. "Thank you." He stepped off the podium and the silence that had fallen over the crowd lifted.

A very peppy French woman with long, straight brown hair shook Kingsley's hand before taking his place at the podium.

"A very powerful speech, Minister. Thank 'oo so much for coming today. Now zer will be a reception, so if you would all pleeze leave ze room while we redecorate? Thank you."

Lavender stood quickly and walked out before anyone could stop her.

She stopped on the Grand Staircase, sitting on the bottom step.

The rest of the crowd trickled into the hall.

No one sat by her, and she passed the time until she could leave people-watching.

Most of the people here had known a victim. They were still whole and unscarred, talking and laughing among their friends. Others were marked as Lavender was, with scars on their faces, arms, or back. They were not as merry as their friends, but they still looked happy enough.

Lavender scanned the crowd. There was Terry Boot talking to Linda Bower, a short, blond girl whose older sister had died after she had seen the children coming out of the Hog's Head and come to the school's aid. Then came the Golden Boy himself, Harry Potter, in a huddle with Hermione Granger and Ron Weasely. It reminded Lavender of their school days together. They'd always been in the corner of the common room, away from everyone else.

She'd be the first to admit that Ron had grown, he was ever taller than in sixth year and now his eyes had a haunted, mysterious quality that his fangirls always found so appealing. She was glad he'd finally gotten with Hermione Granger. Somehow, the two were perfectly suited to each other.

Next was the rest of the Weasely clan. Ginny looked radiant in a short black dress with elbow-length sleeves. George looked distant, not really part of the group. That was to be expected, of course, with Fred so recently gone. Weasley's Wizard Wheezes had closed for quite a while, and had only opened up again the week before. There was Bill Weasley and his wife, Fleur Delacour, one of the Triwizard Champions from her fourth year, talking excitedly with Percy Weasley, the ambitious one.

Her eyes slid away from that group to the next. Parvati and Padma Patil, and their younger sister Pandha, talking to none other than Michael Corner.

She could see his face clearly from this angle and she thought he looked happy, without a care in the world.

Almost as if he could feel her staring, he turned and their eyes met. He smirked at her and very deliberately turned back around and put an arm around each twin.

Lavender told herself it didn't matter, he was an idiot for dumping her. She was worth so many of him, he didn't deserve her.

But she didn't believe it. She felt hot tears rising and the chatter of the crowd faded in her ears. She couldn't be here anymore. She couldn't sit and watch him be happy without her.

Trying to keep her face impassive, indifferent, she stood and smoothed her skirt. She turned and started walking slowly up the stairs. A single tear escaped her eye and fell down her cheek.

As soon as she reached the landing, she turned into an empty hallway and started running. She ran without a thought to where she was going, just trying to get as far from the Great Hall as possible.

She went up stairs, she went down stairs, she ran through doorways and secret passages until she found herself in an empty classroom. There were no desks or chairs, only a blackboard and a waste basket in the corner. And in the middle of the room stood a mirror.

The full length mirror glittered, reflecting her jewellery. She walked up to it, suddenly pensive.

She saw herself, but it wasn't her. This face in the mirror was perfect, pristine. The girl she saw looking back at her did not have scars, and in the background, Michael Corner stood smiling at her. Like she was the only thing he could see.

She reached up and touched her face, touched her scars which were invisible in the mirror, and the flood of tears could not be held back.

She fell to her knees, her face in her hands, mourning the perfect life she'd once had.

"Lavender," a deep voice spoke behind her.

She whipped around, anger coursing through her. How dare he follow her? How dare he see her cry?

"Finnegan," she said. "Go away."

"I can't, Lav," he said, coming toward her. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine." Lavender said, lying to both him and herself, trying to pretend she really was fine. "Now, leave me alone."

"I told you, I can't." he said. "It's very obvious to me that you're not fine and I can't leave you alone."

"I said," Lavender said, drawing her wand, "GO AWAY!" When he didn't move she cast the first spell she thought of.

"_Rictumsempra!_"

A jet of light shot from her want, but Seamus dodged it easily.

"A tickling spell?" he said in disbelief. "What would that have done?"

"It would have distracted you so I could get away!"

"You'll never get away from me." he said. "_Expelliarmus!_"

Lavender's wand flew from her hand and Seamus smiled. "I've always been better at that particular spell." he said.

Lavender stood shocked, anger slowly seeping in. "Aaaaaahhhh!" she yelled as she flew toward him. "Why can't you just go away?" She was seeing red, all she could think about was hitting every part of Seamus she could reach. "Why can't you just. Leave. Me. Alone!" she screamed, puncuating every word with a blow.

"You're so beautiful when you're angry." he said, a laugh in his voice. Her anger dissipated almost immediately and the tears were threatening to overflow again. "Don't you dare. Don't you dare call me that."

"What? Beautiful? But you are. Your hair, your eyes, your voice, your personality. I've seen what he's done to you and it kills me! You're so beautiful and he never deserved you."

"Stop it! Stop lying!"

Seamus stepped forward one more time and put his arms around Lavender, holding her close. "I'm not," he whispered in her ear. "I'm not."

"Yes, you are. You have to be. Why else would you say those things?"

"Because, Lavender, I love you. Everything about you. I've loved you for so long, I can't remember not loving you."

"Wha - ?"

"Shh, let me finish," he said gently. "And I know you're not over him yet. But I'll be waiting. When you are, I'll be there. I love you and when you're ready to love again, I'll be here."

He stood up. "Now, come on, we'd better get back to the reception. I'm sure we'll be missed." And he walked out, leaving a very shocked girl sitting in the shadow of a mirror.

**There it was. Now, I hope to get chapter 2 out ASAP, but I don't know when I'll be able to get around to it, because of school, speech, homework, and other things that are currently making my life chaotic. Hopefully, I'll get it out to my beta tonight. Secondly, you should review this, because reviews make me smile! (Yes, even flames. It's nice to know someone's reading it and not just clicking the back button the second they see the first sentence or something.)**

**PS, Alexis, if you leave a review that says just "that was weird" I will personally hurt you tomorrow. :)**


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